


The Seat of the Soul

by Kumar



Category: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess Of Power (1985)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22872235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kumar/pseuds/Kumar
Summary: Evil-Lyn finds a long lost magical stone and uses it on He-Man with unexpected results. Will Eternia survive without her Champion? What happens when who you are is stripped away entirely?
Relationships: He-Man | Adam/Adora (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> This one is different. I did have a request for Evil-Lyn and while my preferred focus is on the relationship between our heroes, I thought it would be interesting to toss a pretty big spanner in the works.

Preface

In a tiny cave, off to the side and nearly unnoticed within a larger network of caverns, a woman was searching, muttering to herself.

“The stone will be found… hidden…. In the cavern…. In plain sight…”

The woman, tall and imposing, wearing a blue and purple outfit crowned with a headdress, was clearly used to getting what she wanted. She was impatient, demanding, and relentless. Carrying a staff that was bright at one end and using it to throw light around the nooks and crannies in the cave.

Dust swirled around creating an otherworldly feeling. As the light moved by, ancient artefacts were lit up and then returned to darkness. They were of no interest to the woman.

She paused, mid step and cried up to the ceiling, “By the ANCIENTS!!! Stone of Night and Darkness, show yourself!”

The cave shook slightly, dust fell from the ceiling. All the hidden treasures rattled in their spaces. The movement did not startle or scare the woman. She turned on the spot, impatiently scanning.

And then…

A small glow, tucked away on an almost unseen crevice, nearly overlooked.

“Yes…. yes!” The woman crouched and picked up the stone almost lovingly. “This will rid us of the He-Man problem once and for all!”


	2. Chapter 2

“Augh!” 

From the palace courtyard, the sounds of fighting, wooden swords clacking and grunts. A hit, fleshy and loud.

“That’s another one, Adam! Pay attention!” Teela, captain of the Royal Guard was running her charge, Prince Adam through his paces.

Teela, a tall and strong warrior was covered in lean muscle. She used the advantage of her lighter weight to feint, stab, whack and dance out of the way. Prince Adam, the young prince of Eternia, was a heavily muscled man and it was obvious he was struggling to keep up.

Another whack with the sword and the prince dropped his own sword in defeat. “I give, Teela. You’re just too good to beat.” He wheezed, oddly out of breath for someone of his apparent fitness level.

Teela huffed and pointed down with her own sword. “Pick it up, Adam, we’re not done yet.”

Adam dragged himself over to a nearby bench and sat down heavily, wiping a tired hand across his brow. “Give me a few moments to catch my breath, Captain. You’re too good at this.”

“That’s why you need to le-,” Teela’s response cut off when the palace alarms blared. Adam stood up suddenly, at the ready.

Without a glance at the prince, Teela started running. “Stay here, Adam! I’ll go see what’s going on!” And she was off.

Adam in the meantime had a miraculous recovery. No longer slumped or sluggish, he started running. Not following Teela exactly, but looking for a quiet alcove. Scanning quickly to make sure he was alone. The palace guards were all running in the same direction as their Captain.

“I think we may need some extra help and I know just who to ask,” he said, skidding into a secluded area while pulling out his sword. “By the Power of Grayskull!”

The light and magic that surrounded the young man quickly transformed him into his alter ego, He-Man, Master of the Universe and protector of Castle Grayskull. A secret identity that gave him profound strength and energy, which came in handy when he was forced to battle his arch nemesis Skeletor and his hoard of monsters.

A loud bang shook the whole palace courtyard, galvanising He-Man into action. Running towards the chaos, he joined the Royal Guards as they ran to protect the palace and the King and Queen. It didn’t take long before He-Man heard Skeletor’s trademark laugh.

“I’m here to take what’s mine!” The wizard announced. 

He-Man raced around a corner only to come almost face to face with Skeletor. A man crossed with a skull, covered in blue skin and a surprising amount of muscle. His empty eye sockets seemed to see all, though they were black depths of nothing.

“There’s nothing here that belongs to you, Bone Brain,” He-Man announced unsheathing his sword. “Go back to Snake Mountain before I make you go back!”

“He-Man!” A woman’s voice called out. From behind Skeletor, another wizard appeared. Evil-lyn, a skilled wizard in her own right and very quick with the spells. “You are not wanted here.”

“Awwww,” He-Man responded, arching a brow, “you’re having a party without me? That’s not very nice. Let me help you leave!”

With that, he ran forward, grabbed Evil-Lyn and started swinging her around. Before he could get very far, the wizard muttered a spell and surrounded the both of them with a purple light. He-Man quickly tossed Evil-Lyn out and away from the Royal Palace and then stumbled.

“Having trouble, you muscle bound fool?” Skeletor taunted while casually keeping the Royal Guards at bay, easily tossing spells any time someone got too close.

He-Man straightened up with effort. “I’m just making sure I toss the baby out with the bath water!” And with that he grabbed Skeletor, spun him around and threw him out and away from the palace.

Skeletor flew off with an angry yell, the palace guards closed in on the space he’d left.

As soon as He-Man let go, he staggered to the ground unable to keep his balance. Not even able to remain graceful as he hit the ground.

“He-Man!” Teela called as she ran over. The Royal Guards drew in closer, unsure, seeing their hero had fallen. “He-Man! Are you all right?”

He-Man could barely keep his head up, slumping more.

Man-At-Arms ran up just then. Teela looked up.

“Something’s really wrong with He-Man, Father,” Teela cried. “What are we going to do?”


	3. Chapter 3

It was the middle of the night on Etheria. The Whispering Woods, home to the Great Rebellion, had settled down into its usual night noises and activities. Little creatures scampered around. Others slept on. The rustling, snoring, scratchy noises were a comfort to the people also houses safely within.

Adora, leader of the rebellion and the lost, then found, princess of Eternia, slept on. She was exhausted from fighting against the Horde both as her magical alter-ego She-Ra and as herself. Thanks to her background being Hordak’s favourite Force Captain, the Rebellion needed her to have a strong presence whenever there was a battle or incursion. It would, of course, be far easier to remain as her magical self, but it would harm her reputation as their leader.

Sadly, an uninterrupted night wasn’t in the cards for the young woman.

“Adora….” a voice called out from the shadows. “Adora!” it insisted. 

Adora rolled over but didn’t awaken.

“Adoooooora,” the voice kept on. It was a woman’s voice. Soft. Gentle. Insistent. Demanding. Relentless.

A few moments, and several more calls later, Adora woke up confused. “What?” She questioned, rubbing her eyes and sitting up slowly. “Who’s there?”

“Adora…” the voice responded.

Adora reached for her sword, neatly hanging off her lone chair and tucked into its sheath. There was a glow coming from the jewel which sat near the hilt. Inside the jewel was a woman’s face. 

It was the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull on Eternia. If she was calling, something was very wrong. Adora quickly held her sword upright and made contact with the Sorceress. 

***

A very short time later, Adora stepped through the interdimensional portal that led to Eternia and the Sorceress. While Adora could leave her role as leader of the Great Rebellion for a short time, she always felt torn when she left. What if this was the day Hordak made a catastrophic attack? With Adora, and consequently her alter ego She-Ra gone, the Rebellion was vulnerable.

And yet, without visible hesitation, Adora left on a moment’s notice. Her beloved twin brother was in trouble and needed her help.

The tall, blond woman stepped out of the portal straight into the throne room of Castle Grayskull. With the grace of a cat, or well-trained warrior, it was only seconds for her to scan the room and assess the situation.

He-Man was there, lying on a stretcher, with the Sorceress kneeling next to time with her hands on his head. 

Adora gasped, “He-Man!” And ran over to the pair.

“What happened?” She asked, dropping to her knees opposite the Sorceress.

The ancient caretaker of Castle Grayskull sighed slightly, in her ageless way. “He-Man was hit with an unknown magic during a battle at the palace,” she paused a moment, “Your parents are fine. Your brother took the brunt of the attack saving everyone involved.”

Adora chuckled ruefully, “Sounds like him.”

“Yes, Princess,” The Sorceress replied. “But he did so at terrible cost. I have prevented him from turning back into his normal form because I simply don’t know how injured he is.”

Sanding smoothly, and pulling out the Sword of Protection, Adora said, “I can help with that, Sorceress! For the Honor of Grayskull!”

Quickly transforming into her magical alter ego She-Ra, she knelt back down by her brother. “Now let’s see what’s going on with you, my Brother.”

Hands glowing with the healing power of Grayskull, She-Ra replaced the Sorceress' hands on her brother. Her eyes fluttered closed as she worked. Whatever was wrong was deep and magical. She could sense no actual injuries.

Slumping suddenly, drained, She-Ra muttered, “That’s it. That’s all I can do. I only hope it’s enough.”

The Sorceress waved her hands over He-Man and without fanfare he changed back into his normal form or Prince Adam. The prince’s eyes fluttered a moment and he sucked in a breath before moving to sit up. She-Ra helped support him up.

“Wha-,” Adam muttered, squeezing his eyes shut briefly before opening them and looking around. “Where am I? Who are you? What’s going on?”

The two women met each other’s eyes in horror. This was so not good.


	4. Chapter 4

Adam was sitting in the little library off to the side of the throne room in Castle Grayskull. She-Ra and the Sorceress discovered that he could still read, and sat him down with a few books and instructions to stay there while they conferred. 

“I don’t understand, Sorceress,” She-Ra said. She’d started pacing, short steps, feeling agitated. “I healed him using everything I had.”

The Sorceress was thinking. Going through her mental stores of knowledge. “I am convinced that your brother is not injured, merely under a very powerful spell.”

“Can you break it?”

The Sorceress frowned. Of course, if she had been able to, it would have been broken already. But she chose to ignore her first response, unhelpful as it was. “I want to test something.”

Walking over to the door of the room where Adam sat reading, the Sorceress called him out. The young man was only too happy to help, though he didn’t know where he was or who he was with.

The Sorceress instructed him to stand before her, and with no further ado, she placed her hands on either side of his head and closed her eyes. Her hands glowed for a moment and then the Sorceress dropped them and stepped away.

“I sense nothing. It’s as though I am being blocked.”

“Blocked?” She-Ra gasped. “How?”

“I’m not sure, She-Ra…. Adam,” the Sorceress commanded. “I am going to try a magic spell on you. Do not be afraid.”

Adam, cheerfully blank, just smiled at the women. He didn’t know why he trusted them, but he did.

“Take your sword out, Adam. It’s just behind your right shoulder.”

The young man complied and was surprised to grasp the handle of a sword he’d had no idea he was carrying. 

“How did that get there?” He asked in confusion holding the sword awkwardly as though he’d never held a weapon before.

“Now repeat after me…. ‘By the Power of Grayskull!’” The Sorceress commanded.

Adam shrugged and figured it couldn’t hurt and did as he was told. Instantly his arm shot up, the sword glowed and he was transformed into his alter ego He-Man. In moments he was calling out, “I have the Power!”

The transformation was magnificent. She-Ra always appreciated the moment when either one of them changed over. The feeling, the rush, of magic was intoxicating. The power, heady.

“She-Ra!” He-Man gasped, looking around. “Sorceress! What’s going on? How did I get here?”

She-Ra pulled her brother into a tight hug. Relieved that he was back to normal. “Oh my brother, it is so good to see you being you again.”

He-Man pulled back at her words, confused. “What? What do you mean?”

The Sorceress paused before responding. “It seems you were the victim of foul magic, He-Man. A plot by Evil-Lyn and Skeletor. What do you remember?”

He-Man turned to pace, exactly like his sister had moments before. “There was some kind of battle… in the palace…. My parents - are they all right?”

“Everyone is fine, He-Man, thanks to you,” the Sorceress reassured him. “But you took the brunt of the spell and it seems to have affected you profoundly.”

“Why, I feel fine! Completely normal!”

“But you’re not, my Brother. As Adam, you have no memory of who you are or who I am!”

He-Man stopped pacing. “But I’m fine now. Maybe transforming has fixed things? Returned me to normal?”

“It’s possible,” the Sources said. “But there’s only one way to know for sure.”

He-Man gave a clipped nod and, with a quick but tight smile, returned the power to the sword and became Adam again.

The young man looked around in confusion. “Hello…” he said hesitating. “Do you know who I am?”


	5. Chapter 5

Outside of Castle Grayskull, Skeletor cackled with glee. It didn’t matter to him that He-Man had thrown him quite literally out of the palace because he had seen that He-Man had been completely engulfed by Evil-Lyn’s spell. He was going to be no threat at all.

This was going to be the best day ever.

No meddling He-Man to stop him from taking over the Castle. No muscle bound oaf preventing Skeletor’s rightful rule of Eternia. 

With a flick of the wrist, Skeletor started the assault on the Castle. Massive rocks flew up and across the abyss. The beasts surrounding Skeletor began howling, adding to the chaos and noise. Skeletor flung several of them too, and when they landed they instantly began pounding at the Castle door.

Victory would be his to claim!

Inside the Castle, the thumps of the rocks pounding startled the group. Adam looked around blankly.

“Is there someone at the door?” he asked.

The Sorceress frowned. “It’s Skeletor and his minions attacking the Castle. She-Ra, you must stop them.”

With a quick, worried glance at her brother, She-Ra replied, “I’m on it, Sorceress!”

She ran off through the main entryway, and pulled her sword out and ready to defend both Eternia and her brother.

“What do you want, Bone Brain?” She-Ra called out as she ran through the monsters, tossing them one after the other back across the abyss.

“She-Ra!” Skeletor responded. “This isn’t your fight. Go home!”

Batting away a giant rock, breaking it into pieces, She-Ra called out, “Surprise! I am home! And I don’t want you in my front yard! You’re ruining the view!”

Skeletor redoubled his efforts, sending twice as many rocks across the abyss, hoping to have at least a few connect with the Castle to break down its defences. He was hoping to overwhelm that annoying female He-Man and he could see that it was starting to work.

She-Ra in the meantime, could see that it wouldn’t be long before there were too many rocks and monsters sent her way. She redoubled her efforts determined not to let Eternia down.

“I believe my sister said you weren’t welcome!”

Right behind She-Ra, He-Man stepped out from the shadows of the Castle entrance. Stepping up to stand beside his sister, He-Man unsheathed his sword and started tossing it from hand to hand, ready for battle.

Skeletor stopped tossing rocks and monsters in surprise.

“He-Man!” He exclaimed. “How… why….”

“That’s my name, Bone Brain, don’t wear it out!” He-Man responded with a grin before leaping across the abyss to land ten feet from the blue wizard. A half second later, She-Ra joined him, ready to end this fight.

Skeletor, realising he was outgunned, raised his hands, “I’ll get you next time, He-Man!”

With a quick motion, he vanished, taking his minions with him.

She-Ra sighed, sheathing her sword, “That was a close one, my Brother.”

He-Man suddenly rounded on his twin, livid and fists clenched. “Too close! What were you thinking?”

She-Ra’s eyes widened at the unexpected attack. She took a step back, “He-Man…”

“No!” He-Man exclaimed. “You nearly lost Castle Grayskull! How can I trust you to protect Eternia when you can’t even hold off Skeletor?”

“Brother, you don’t mean that,” She-Ra soothed, wondering if this was a side effect of the spell. She’d never seen her brother this angry before, and never ever at her.

“I-!” He-Man suddenly spun away, shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry, Sis. I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

She-Ra reached a hand out without actually touching, “You’re under a spell, this isn’t you.”

“She-Ra is correct,” Announced the Sorceress who suddenly appeared between them. “He-Man, you are under a spell that was never meant to work on a Champion of Grayskull. We simply don’t know how it’s going to affect you in this form.”

“How are we going to fix this before I hurt someone… or worse?” He-Man asked, slowly turning around.

“We’ll fix this, my Brother, before it goes that far,” She-Ra declared, her heart breaking at the look on her twin’s face. “And in the meantime, I’ll stay by your side to keep you and everyone else safe.”

The Sorceress frowned, “I’ll tell your parents that you are on a mission for me, so that they don’t worry about where you are. You can’t stay in your He-Man form for long, not if you start becoming more destructive, and we don’t want anyone to see how befuddled you are as Adam.”

“Thank you -” He-Man started but was interrupted by an alert on his comm link.

“He-Man!” the tinny voice of Man At Arms called out. “Skeletor and Evil-Lyn are attacking Eternos City and the Royal Palace! We need your help!”

The twins locked eyes. This wasn’t good. Usually Skeletor retreated to lick his wounds after losing a skirmish. 

“We’re on our way, Duncan!” He-Man responded. The comm link crackled in response. The connection broken. “Come on, Sis, there’s no time to lose!”


	6. Chapter 6

The twins arrived at the palace instantaneously, thanks to the Sorceress. And they arrived in the middle of organised chaos. Royal guards were running out to protect the castle. Magical blasts were almost continuous, coming from below the cliff. Every few seconds, there was a ground skating blast.

“Sounds like Skeletor is working with Evil-Lyn today,” He-Man said. 

She-Ra grinned. “I think they need to spend some time apart… and away from here!”

The twins ran towards the blasts, expertly dodging flying debris. Skeletor was getting bold and they knew they had to work fast to shut him down or things would only get worse.

“Playtime is over, Bone Brain!” She-Ra called out, once they reached the edge of the castle overlooking the cliff. 

Skeletor and his henchmen, and Evil-Lyn, were rapidly creating and sending magical bombs as fast as they could.

“I’ve got the perfect present for you, She-Ra!” Skeletor called out. He created a large magical orb, which sparked and spat energy and blasted it at the twins.

Both He-Man and She-Ra jumped away, but the edge of the explosive energy caught She-Ra and she cried out.

He-Man immediately saw red. No one was allowed to hurt his sister and without warning, he leapt down to Skeletor’s level and ran straight at him. He pulled his sword out, slashing at any henchmen who got in his way. Skeletor, shaken by what he was witnessing, immediately vanished, leaving his small army on their own.

Filled with rage and needing to vent, He-Man didn’t care who he hurt. He spun around to try and get Evil-Lyn but she vanished nearly as quickly as Skeletor. Grabbing a quivering lizard man, He-Man pulled his fist back and then found himself stuck.

She-Ra had joined him, and grabbed him. Shocked at the level of rage her brother was displaying.

“No!” She-Ra called out. “You’re better than this, my Brother.”

“Gaaaaaah!” He-Man screamed. He twisted and shoved the poor lizard man at She-Ra, which forced her to let go of his fist. “You don’t know me at all!”

The Royal Guard and other soldiers had paused, watching the unexpected fight between the heroes. Suddenly aware of the audience they had around them, She-Ra tried to content the situation.

“He-Man, please -”

He-Man let loose with a punch that knocked She-Ra off her feet, pure rage twisted his face to something almost unrecognisable. 

“No!” He spat. “I’ve had enough of you. I’m going to end Skeletor once and for all!”

She-Ra, several feet away and wedged slightly into the ground, was stunned and woozy after the punch that wasn’t pulled in the slightest. She could only watch in horror as He-Man ran off at full speed in the direction of Snake Mountain.

It took a few moments for the hero to pull herself up. As soon as she was on her feet, Man-At-Arms ran over.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She-Ra brushed herself off. “I’m fine. Just winded. But my brother is not.”

Man-At-Arms nodded. “He was hit with some kind of purple ray from Evil-Lyn the last time they fought. It looked like she was using some kind of magical stone.”

“Yes, the Sorceress told me,” She-Ra said. “And now he’s no longer himself. I need to know where he’s going. I assume he’s heading towards Skeletor.”

“That’s the direction he went in. Come on,” Man-At-Arms said. “I’ve got wind raiders fuelled and ready to go. I’ll help you find him.”


	7. Chapter 7

Flying in the wind raider over Eternia and towards Snake Mountain, She-Ra was tense and silent. How to help her brother was consuming her. In his current state he was dangerous as He-Man and completely vulnerable as Adam.

Man-At-Arms glanced over at the woman next to him, concerned. She wasn’t as familiar with Eternia or Snake Mountain and that could be to their detriment.

“What’s the plan, She-Ra?” he asked.

She-Ra narrowed her eyes, grim determination on her face. “Stop He-Man and try to save him…. somehow.” 

“I’ll be by your side; we’ll figure something out together,” Man-At-Arms said. Though Adora hadn’t grown up in the palace, he had extended his commitment to Adam to include his twin. Man-At-Arms felt somewhat responsible for the young woman’s kidnapping, being unable to save her from Hordak all those years ago. He owed her.

“No, Duncan,” She-Ra responded firmly. “He-Man is incredibly dangerous right now. He’d never forgive me if I let you get hurt. I’ve got to do this alone.”

“You aren’t alone, She-Ra. I’ll stay back while you get He-Man but I’m only a comm call away,” Man-At-Arms responded. He reached into a compartment and pulled out a comm-link. “Press this button to talk.”

She-Ra took the link and put it on her wrist.”How much farther?”

“We’re just about there. I’ll put us down outside of Snake Mountain’s visual range and   
you can continue on foot from there.”

***

Sneaking up on Snake Mountain was easier than She-Ra expected. There were no guards around, no traps and nothing to stop her. Something wasn’t right. Her brother had told her so many stories about his escapades in Snake Mountain that She-Ra felt like she knew what to expect.

This wasn’t what she was expecting.

Spying the entrance to Snake Mountain, She-Ra suddenly knew why everything was silent. The entry gate was ripped off its hinges. Henchmen were scattered around, unconscious… or dead. She-Ra ran over quickly and paused beside a few gruesome monsters, checking for life signs. Unconscious… not dead.   
She unsheathed her sword and entered the evil lair. It was soon obvious which way to go. Stepping over body after body, She-Ra muttered to herself, “Skeletor really needs to hire a new cleaning crew. This place is a mess!”

It didn’t take the hero long to find out where her brother was. The noise of monsters squealing and crunching was too loud to ignore.

“No!” 

She-Ra could hear a woman’s voice cry out. She ran around the corner and came across He-Man fighting Evil-Lyn. His sword was out and he was deflecting magical beams as fast as the witch could create and throw them. Her feet were already encased in magical ice.

“He-Man, wait!” She-Ra called out. “This isn’t you, my Brother!”

He-Man didn’t even flinch. “Go away!”

Evil-Lyn tossed more magic out but it was clear she was tiring. She-Ra found herself feeling sorry for the woman. Her fear was palpable.

“What have you done to He-Man?” She-Ra asked. “What magic did you use on him?”

Evil-Lyn grunted as she tossed more magic out. “I used…. The Stone… of Night and Darkness!”

Evil-Lyn ducked and dodged as much as she could, trapped in place. “It ….should have.. Killed him!”

She-Ra gasped. She’d come so close to losing her brother. It must have been the power of Castle Grayskull that saved him in the end.

She-Ra had had enough of watching the fight. They needed Evil-Lyn alive to reverse the spell and He-Man was quickly becoming more aggressive in his response to the magic the witch was throwing at him.

“He-Man, STOP!” She-Ra demanded, raising her voice loud enough to shake the room.

He-Man, surprised, turned his attention to She-Ra and that was the opening Evil-Lyn needed. The witch quickly created a large magic bomb and threw it at He-Man who was only able to deflect a fraction of it away. Enraged by the pain, the hero leapt forward, brandishing his sword in a move that looked like it would decapitate Evil-Lyn.

She-Ra immediately got in the way, preventing her brother from making a killing blow. Without missing a beat, He-Man changed his focus to She-Ra and the two began to fight hard. Every time their swords clanged together, the magic of Grayskull crackled out. The room was soon full of magical lightning, the air smelled like ozone.  
“My Brother,” She-Ra grunted, realising that she was losing ground to her brother’s superior weight and reach, “Stop this. You don’t want to hurt me.”

He-Man’s eyes flashed dark purple, his rage increased. “You are nothing to me! An annoyance.”

“This isn’t you, He-Man,” She-Ra gasped, deflecting and parrying as fast as she could.

The two heroes, distracted and focused on her their fight with each other, missed seeing Evil-Lyn free herself from her trap. The witch knew the stone hadn’t done what she expected but perhaps she could still use the results to her advantage. Pulling the stone out of her pocket, Evil-Lyn whispered a magic spell. The result was instantaneous. Both the stone and He-Man glowed purple for a moment and in that moment, He-Man’s rage grew exponentially.

She-Ra, spun out of the way and spied Evil-Lyn with the stone in her hand. The hero decided that she’d had enough of seeing her brother in pain and in his most destructive form.

“Sword to bola!” She-Ra called out and quickly tossed her bola at Evil-Lyn, knocking the stone of Night and Darkness out of her hand. It hit the ground and shattered into tiny shards.

“Nooooooo!” Evil-Lyn cried out. Realising that she’d lost any control over the situation, the witch vanished in a blink.

He-Man paused for a moment, chest heaving and sweat dripping. She-Ra looked up at her brother, hopeful that the broken stone meant the end of the curse. She was exhausted, even with the magical boost from Castle Grayskull. Fighting her equal was taking everything she had.

For a moment, the only sound in the room was their heavy breathing and then He-Man screamed in rage, a terrible sound, and doubled down on his attack on She-Ra. She-Ra didn’t have her sword though, having thrown it to destroy the Stone, and she was quickly pushed into a defensive position.

“My Brother,” She-Ra panted, ducking a punishing swing of the hero’s sword, “Come back to me.”

“I’m right here,” He-Man responded, slashing relentlessly and finally drawing She-Ra’s blood. “And I’m tired of being chained to you! I spent my whole life trying to get Father’s respect. To do my duty. And you show up, and made me look bad!”

“You don’t mean that,” She-Ra cried, trying to take the Sword of Power from her brother’s hand. 

A hard shove from He-Man sent She-Ra to the floor. Lying on her back, exhausted, heartbroken and bleeding from numerous cuts and stabs. He-Man put one heavy foot on her ribs and held the sword to his sister’s neck.

“My life was better when you weren’t in it!” He-Man declared. “I wish you were never born!”

She-Ra, knowing that she was about to die, opened her eyes wide and allowed herself to feel all the love she had for her twin. Tears streamed down her face. “Adam! Do what you must, but my Brother, you saved me from a terrible life. You are the reason I am the person I am today and I will love you forever.”

He-Man hesitated on hearing those words. The sword pushed a little less hard into his sister’s neck.

“Adam, please,” She-Ra pleaded. “You can fight this!”

He-Man’s brow furrowed.

She-Ra seeing her opportunity called out, “By the Power of Grayskull!”

He-Man’s sword, touching both her and him, glowed suddenly. The glow travelled up the sword and engulfed He-Man’s entire body for a moment and then expanded out to fill the room. She-Ra was forced to squeeze her eyes shut but she felt the moment her brother stepped away, no longer leaning on her ribs to hold her in place.

“She-Ra, what have I done?” He-Man gasped, quietly. 

She-Ra opened her eyes to the best sight ever; her brother, looking at her with love and concern. “Brother….”

He-Man glanced around the room and quickly spied the bola form of She-Ra’s sword. “Bola to sword!” He called out, returning the Sword of Protection to its natural state.

He-Man carefully put the sword into She-Ra’s hand, crossed his sword with hers and said, “By the Power of Grayskull!”


	8. Chapter 8

Later that day, the twins were at Castle Grayskull, talking with the Sorceress. Adora had insisted because she could see that Adam was filled with guilt and shame. They needed answers before he spiralled further downward.

“The Stone of Night and Darkness,” The Sorceress said, “was an ancient magical device designed to destroy a victim by turning them into their worst self until they ultimately died.”

“Why did Adam lose his memory?” Adora asked. “Shouldn’t he have become as violent as He-Man was?”

Adam cringed a little at that reminder. He remembered everything he’d done under the spell as He-Man, and even remembered the feelings of rage and hate he’d had. His memories of Adam were a lot more befuddled. Pleasant but unfocused and they made no sense.

The Sorceress breathed out slowly, while thinking about what had happened. “Adam wasn’t the one hit by the spell when Evil-Lyn cast it. He-Man was. He bore the brunt of the effects, though it should have killed him. The power of Castle Grayskull saved Adam by keeping him from his memories.”

“Why didn’t the spell end when She-Ra destroyed the stone?” Adam asked.

“The magic that makes you He-Man, also powered the spell. I think, counteracting the worst of it. May I?” The Sorceress held up her hands, asking to lay them on the young man’s head.

Adam nodded and closed his eyes. The Sorceress and the young man breathed in sync for a moment while the older woman searched for something. Adora watched quietly, waiting for a verdict. 

Breaking the link, the Sorceress said, “Castle Grayskull chose you both because of your innate goodness. Your hearts are full of love and compassion. It can’t create what isn’t there, but it can and does amplify it when you transform.”

Adam turned away, afraid to hear the rest, but determined to own it. “So you’re saying that the Stone of Night and Darkness amplified some part of me that’s real? That I hate and resent my sister?”

Adora’s hand flew to her mouth as she gasped. “No! Adam, I know you!”

“Do you?” Her twin asked. “Because I said the most terrible things I could to you earlier today and I remember how good it felt to say them. I meant every single word!”

“That was the spell!”

“Adam,” the Sorceress commanded, “listen to your sister.”

Adam turned back, caught off guard by the Sorceress’ forceful tone.

“The Stone of Night and Darkness does NOT amplify what’s already there. Castle Grayskull does. What you said, even if you felt like you meant it, wasn’t from your heart. Not in the way you think.”

Adora reached out and took her brother's hand. He didn’t pull away.

“The Stone takes who and what you are and twists it into the opposite. You said you hated and resented your sister? Your heart doesn’t believe that. In fact, you love and need her in your life. You are twins. A matched set of Champions. Search your heart and you know what I say is true.”

Adam turned to look at Adora. “Can you forgive me?”

Adora pulled her beloved twin into the tightest hug she could manage, “Always, my Brother.”

The Sorceress smiled slightly as she watched the twins start to come to terms with the events. They would be all right, sooner or later. Adora was quick to forgive and love, Adam needed time to work through his guilt but they would be fine in the end. She surreptitiously cast a tiny little spell on the pair, helping them along towards healing. One never knew when the Champions of Grayskull would be called upon again, and the Sorceress needed them to be in top form sooner rather than later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this one took a while to get to the finish line! Though I had a story outline, I got stuck on the He-Man whump. I just couldn't write my way through it and so I decided to let the story details bubble away in my head. I may end up going back over things to flesh out some plot points but in the meantime, it's done and I'm pretty darn happy. Thanks for reading. Kudos and comments are love <3


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